The Tell-Tale Heart

A Novel

About the Book

A man’s life and his capacity for love mysteriously changes after a heart transplant in this dramatic and affecting novel—as provocative and poignant as the works of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes, and Alice Sebold—from the acclaimed Orange Prize nominee and author of Lucky Bunny.

After years of excessive drink and sex, Patrick’s heart has collapsed. Only fifty, he has been given six months to live. But a tragic accident involving a teenager and a motorcycle gives the university professor a second chance. He receives the boy’s heart in a transplant, and by this miracle of science, two strangers are forever linked.

Though Patrick’s body accepts his new heart, his old life seems to reject him. Bored by the things that once enticed him, he begins to look for meaning in his experience. Discovering that his donor was a local boy named Drew Beamish, he becomes intensely curious about Drew’s life and the influences that shaped him-from the eighteenth-century ancestor involved in a labor riot to the bleak beauty of the Cambridgeshire countryside in which he was raised. Patrick longs to know the story of this heart that is now his own.

In this intriguing and deeply absorbing story, Jill Dawson weaves together the lives and loves of three vibrant characters connected by fate to explore questions of life after death, the nature of the soul, the unseen forces that connect us, and the symbolic power of the heart.

Book Description

After years of excessive drink and sex, Patrick has suffered a massive heart attack. Although he's only fifty, he's got just months to live. But a tragic accident involving a teenager and a motorcycle gives the university professor a second chance. He receives the boy's heart in a transplant, and by this miracle of science, two strangers are forever linked.

Though Patrick's body accepts his new heart, his old life seems to reject him. Bored by the things that once enticed him, he begins to look for meaning in his experience. Discovering that his donor was a local boy named Drew Beamish, he becomes intensely curious about Drew's life and the influences that shaped him—from the eighteenth-century ancestor involved in a labor riot to the bleak beauty of the Cambridgeshire countryside in which he was raised. Patrick longs to know the story of this heart that is now his own.

In this intriguing and deeply absorbing story, Jill Dawson weaves together the lives and loves of three vibrant characters connected by fate to explore questions of life after death, the nature of the soul, the unseen forces that connect us, and the symbolic power of the heart.

Educator and Librarian Resources

Critical Praise

“This deft, intelligent novel explores the human anxiety that replacing a heart is the closest one can come to replacing a soul.” —

“Dawson navigates this territory with a freshness and wit that belie a seasoned novelist.” —

“A tender and thoughtful novel that explores some of the fundamental questions about identity and the symbolism of the heart.” —

“Dawson knows how to pluck the heartstrings too. The moment when Drew’s mother listens to her dead son’s heart beating in Patrick’s chest is devastating…the flashback leading up to the hanging of one of Drew’s forefathers is one of the highlights in a narrative that keeps you guessing.” —

“As wise as it is witty, Dawson’s skilful storytelling constructs a unique look at how one deals with another life, if given a second chance. Split into seven parts, her prose absorbs the reader into a beautifully crafted novel that will extend many a reading afternoon.” —

“Dawson explores the broad range of complexities involved in organ transplantation with reverence and respect for the recipient and the donor family, skillfully skirting the maudlin in favor of crafting vibrant characterizations.” —

“Willie’s narration also showcases [Dawson’s] most lyrical writing….With a title borrowed…from Poe’s best-known short story, Dawson’s novel…pose[s]…genuine questions about what it means to be fully human.” —

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